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2019 Let Me Run & Girls on The Run

let Me Run

Let Me Run is a nonprofit wellness program that inspires boys to be themselves, be active, and belong. With a comprehensive curriculum that applies the power of running, the program encourages boys to develop their psychlogical, emotional and social health, in addition to their physical health.

Twice a week for seven weeks, two trained volunteer coaches lead an elementary or middle school team through practice. Designed to amplify confidence, self-expression, and respect for others, each practice includes a lesson from the Let Me Run curriculum that incorporates running, games and activities.

Each fall and spring season culminates in a 5k race festival that celebrates the boys’ personal growth. Phrases like “man up,” “boys don’t cry” and “stop being a girl” serve as catalysts for this type of destructive macho-masculinity. As described by Dr. William Pollack in his book Real Boys, these unhealthy male stereotypes, which Pollack refers to as the “Boy Code,” can stand in the way of boys’ positive futures and lead to disturbing consequences such as illness, decreased learning potential, addiction, and violence. These often unspoken issues lead ninety men in the U.S. to commit suicide every day, four of whom are boys under the age of 19.

Girls on The Run

Girls on the Run® is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to creating a world here every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.

Meeting twice a week in small teams, we teach life skills through dynamic, interactive lessons and running games. The curriculum is taught by certified Girls on the Run coaches and includes three parts: understanding ourselves, valuing relationships and teamwork and understanding how we connect with and shape the world at large.

Running is used to inspire and motivate girls, encourage lifelong health and fitness, and build confidence through accomplishment. Important social, psychological, and physical skills and abilities are developed and reinforced throughout the program. At each season's conclusion, the girls and their running buddies complete a 5K running event which gives them a tangible sense of achievement as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals. The result—making the seemingly impossible, possible, and teaching girls that they can.